Cold snap draws comparisons to Mars

Herb Scribner
Deseret News special workflow

POSTED:January 3, 2018 3:59 a.m.

Herb Scribner/

Samantha Dement-Graham shovels her neighbor's sidewalk on University Avenue in Dubuque, Iowa, on Dec. 29, 2017. Cold arctic air dipping further south than usual prompted Omaha, Nebraska, officials to cancel a New Year's Eve fireworks show as a three-day deep freeze chills celebrations in Iowa and Nebraska. The National Weather Service is warning of hazardous weather conditions as a deep freeze sets in with expected temperatures in some locations dipping near records not seen in more than 130...

A deadly deep freeze has washed over areas of the United States. Temperatures are so low that they’ve drawn comparisons to the planet Mars.

The year 2017 came to an end with a cold snap gripping most of the United States, breaking century-old records and causing several deaths. The cold temperatures covered areas from south Texas, Montana, New England, Alabama and Georgia, ABC News reported.

Michael Mischna, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said the comparison is accurate.

But, he said, Mars’ atmosphere is thinner than Earth’s, which means temperatures would feel different on the two planets, even if the data says they’re the same.

“If you were to jump into a pool that was 70 degrees, it would feel a lot colder to your body than standing in air at 70 degrees, and that’s because the water is able to suck the heat out of your body,” Mischna said, suggesting that it wouldn't feel as cold on Mars.

People are having fun with the colder temperatures, though. For example, weather observer Adam Gill posted a video of boiling water being released in minus 31-degree weather, which had breathtaking results.